NORTHAMPTON — With the tying runners aboard on first and third and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Northampton Post 28’s Trey Kuzmeski stepped to the plate to try to play hero and keep Northampton’s season alive in the American Legion Senior Division quarterfinals.

Kuzmeski timed up a fastball from East Springfield Post 420 pitcher Hamilton Wray and blasted it out to the right-center gap – the same spot he hit earlier which resulted in a double. This time, East Springfield center fielder Nathan Pok timed his run perfectly, and tracked down the long fly ball that would’ve likely tied the game.

Pok squeezed it for the third out, ending Post 28’s season in gut-wrenching fashion, as they fell 3-1 with a trip to the semifinals on the line on Monday evening at Arcanum Field.

Northampton had completed several comebacks throughout the year, but it fell just shy of another one. East Springfield got out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning, and capped off its win by escaping a first-and-third jam in the seventh.

Post 28 was just one hit away from a different ball game in the last two frames.

“I’ve been saying it since the first game of the year, this team won’t give up,” Northampton head coach Adam Krol said. “They fight until the last out every game. I felt great going into that last inning even though we were down. I felt like we had it, I still feel like we do. This team has heart and fight and they support each other. That’s what makes this team special and that’s the foundation for us going forward.”

After three scoreless innings thanks to a pitchers’ duel between Post 420 ace Eliam Rosario and Post 28 southpaw James Lavallee, Northampton scraped a run across to break the tie in the bottom of the fourth.

Kuzmeski ripped his aforementioned double to lead off the inning and ended up on third after a failed pick-off attempt ended up in center field. Lavallee then walked – putting runners at the corners – before taking off to steal second prior to Rosario stepping toward home. Rosario stepped off the mound and threw it to second, and in doing so, Kuzmeski bolted home to score the game’s first run.

Krol knew that one run wouldn’t be enough considering how lethal East Springfield’s bats are, which Northampton witnessed first-hand in a 15-10 loss to them earlier this season.

“It never feels like enough in this league where you play against great competition every game,” Krol said. “They found some barrels. That’s a great baseball team and they played really well. They’ve now beat us twice this season. James is a great player, he’s a great pitcher and he’s a true leader. We played well, but we lost a close game. Sometimes that happens.”

Post 420 took advantage of a sixth-inning, lead-off triple from Jaliel Rodriguez as Rosario brought him home with a ground out. They scored twice more in the away half of the seventh, as the bottom of their line up contributed with a walk, two singles and scored both of their runs in the frame.

Lavallee finished with 6 2/3 innings pitched, three runs, one walk and five strikeouts, then Griffin Smiarowski cleaned up the final out in the seventh – a pop fly snagged by Kuzmeski to get out of a bases-loaded situation.

Although Northampton was unable to score again, meaning its season came to a close, it still had a prosperous campaign, according to Krol.

“We had a successful season,” he said. “We played hard and we played the right way. I could not be more proud of the way these guys competed. Obviously it’s not the way we wanted it to end, or the way we thought it would end, but it’s a part of life – dealing with adversity and the consequences of losing. It’s also what motivates you. Yes it stings, yes it hurts, but that’s the reason we get in the gym the next day and work out all winter long. To be here again next summer.”

Krol and Smiarowski, who played in his final Post 28 game, embraced several times following the loss. The two have built a strong connection through American Legion baseball, and after several seasons leading the Post 28 team, Smiarowski – the team’s captain – will move on from the league.

He’s a huge reason Northampton was the team it was in 2024, the No. 2 seed heading into the postseason.

“Griffin is the best captain I could ever ask for, and this program would not be here without him,” Krol said. “It hurts to see him go.”

Monday evening was the most fans at a Northampton Post 28 game this summer. Krol said some of that can be credited to the style of baseball his team inherited throughout the season, and some to the fact that they won a lot of games (12-6-1 record after Monday’s loss).

But most of it he said is because of the type of kids they have on the roster – selfless, kind and hard-working individuals that make it very easy to root for.

The hundreds of fans lined around Arcanum Field could attest to that.

“I thank the players and their families, because these kids are an incredible group of human beings, and I think our fans would say the same. I am so honored to coach every one of them every day,” Krol said. “These are our leaders of tomorrow, and it was a pleasure spending this summer with them.”

East Springfield will travel to Aldenville in the semifinal round on Tuesday.